Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) (35 page)

Opera music played softly in the background.

“Wine?” Simon asked me.

“No,” Nathaniel said, interrupting. “Better not. It’s too soon for that.”

He poured a glass for Nathaniel and handed it to him.

“Thank you.”

Simon placed the bottle on the table and left the room.

I forced myself to look over at Nathaniel. He was dressed in a suit, and was sitting back in the chair, completely relaxed and quiet.

“I don’t even drink wine,” I said. “So I guess you don’t know everything.”

He picked up a carafe of water that was on the table and stood up. He walked toward me. He always seemed to have those moves, sudden and unexpected.

“I know that you’re probably still pretty thirsty,” he said.

He filled my glass, placing it back down in front of me and wandered back to his seat.

I stared at the table. Everything looked very elegant and expensive. I fiddled with the napkin on my lap as I tried to gather my courage to look at him again.

Simon returned and placed a bowl of soup in front of me, along with a small basket of French bread. Then he served Nathaniel.

“Lobster bisque,” Simon said. “
Bon appetite
.”

I leaned in and tasted some. It was good. I kept my eyes down as I ate, mopping up the last drops with a piece of bread.

Nathaniel was quiet all through dinner. Over the next hour, we ate several courses, including dessert, in silence. Simon brought all the dishes out, announcing what each one was and how he had used fresh ingredients from the region. Lemon chicken with rosemary. A creamy potato gratin. Different slices of cheeses, paired with plum and fig jams, and then finally, a small slice of chocolate torte.

The thought had crossed my mind that they were trying to fatten me up like some sort of Thanksgiving turkey. But I didn’t care. I had been starving and everything was delicious.

Simon returned and started clearing the table.

“Would you care for anything else, Abby?” Nathaniel asked.

I shook my head.

I had noticed that he hadn’t eaten much. Just a bite here, a bite there. Mostly he slowly drank his wine and watched me eat. I was grateful that he had been quiet all through dinner, but I knew I wouldn’t get off so easily the rest of the evening.

“I’m glad to see you had the pleasure of eating a meal prepared by Simon. He really is quite the extraordinary chef.”

Simon smiled slightly and then left the room.

“And judging from your appetite, you must agree that the meal was excellent.”

I still didn’t say anything. What he was saying was true, but I would have traded it all for a cardboard anchovy pizza at home.

Nathaniel stood up and tossed his napkin on the table.

“I didn’t see the need to have a conversation while we were eating, but there are some matters I wish to discuss with you. Would you please join me in the library? Not for too long, I promise.”

“Sure,” I said.

I followed him through the doorway and down a hall. When we reached the library, he stopped, wanting me to go first. But I wouldn’t. I didn’t trust him behind me, not for a second. He smiled before going in, seeming to know my thoughts.

The room was mostly made up of windows. There was a huge fireplace, already lit and crackling.

I looked around. It was a nice room, with chairs and sofas arranged into small conversation areas, along with tables and lamps and rugs. There were bookshelves filled with shiny-rimmed volumes that all matched.

“Can I offer you a soda?” he asked.

“No,” I said, wandering over to the books. Classics mostly.

A crystal bar set was in the corner and Nathaniel poured himself a drink, and pushed a button on a remote. Violin music danced around the room and he sat down in one of two leather chairs that faced each other.

“Please, Abby, sit,” he said, motioning to the opposite chair.

I walked over and sat down.

“I want to go home,” I said. “Do you know how worried my sister must be?”

“I understand. You’ll have to trust me when I say you will be able to return. But you’re needed here for now.”

I looked over at the flames, thinking about Kate. Her torture must have been unimaginable. By now she probably put it together that it was Nathaniel who had kidnapped me. It must be killing her that she wasn’t able to protect me, that the security system and gun she had bought had done nothing to save me from him.

He stood up and took off his jacket, folding it neatly and placing it over a chair.

“If things go well in these next few days, I’ll let you speak to her,” he said.

Would it really be that easy?

“I’m not a heartless animal, Abby,” he said, smiling. “I realize that your sister is very important to you. It is not my intention to ruin your life. Quite the contrary. My intention is to give you the rich life you deserve. Full of everything you desire. You’re a very special girl and your happiness is very, very important to me.”

I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, but quickly reminded myself that Nathaniel, for all his well-tailored suits and advanced degrees, was insane. And these words he was saying to me, that he cared about my happiness, were the words of a deranged mind. It’s what psychopaths did in the movies, twisting events, telling their victims that the evil they did was all in the name of good.

“I don’t believe you,” I said. “You don’t care about me. I wouldn’t be here if you cared about me. I’m here because you think I have something you want. And it doesn’t matter who gets hurt. It’s as simple as that. And the funny thing is that you’re wrong about all of it. You and your potion didn’t save me. Your brother did. He’s the hero, not you.”

It was true. His brother was the one who saved me and I wanted to remind him of that fact.

“Abby,” he said in an even voice. “I look forward to proving to you how mistaken you are in these coming days. I look forward to winning your trust. I am convinced you’ll come to share my vision. And it is my sincere hope that someday, someday soon, you’ll join me in creating a new world.”

Share his vision? Join him in creating a new world? He was more far gone than I thought. There was no use arguing.

He got up from the chair, sipped his drink, and walked slowly around the room.

“I wanted to meet with you tonight to discuss a few important matters. Housekeeping mostly, if you will.”

He went over to the window and looked out.

“We have a small staff here at the house and even though they all pitch in to cook and clean and do errands, all of them are here because they are highly trained researchers. Scientists. Doctors. Simon, for example, is a molecular biologist. And there are a few others that you may bump into now and again, but for the most part, they will stay out of your way.”

“You mean like Jack?” I said, the anger in my voice spilling out. “My old soccer buddy?”

“Ah, yes. Jack Martin. He’s a doctor and a biochemist who I’ve been working with for a few years. I am sorry that we had to do it that way. I know you feel betrayed.”

He came back and sat down again.

“Jack’s a world class loser,” I said.

“Like I said, I wish we could have done it differently. I know he feels terribly about how things turned out. He cares for you deeply as a friend and perhaps one day you will see that. But for now, everyone has to make sacrifices.”

I stood up. My head had started to hurt again and I had had enough. I was ready to return to my room.

“Please, just a few more minutes,” he said, extending his arm.

I sat back down at the edge of the chair.

“I’d like to go over just a few of the house rules. That way, you will know the expectations and we won’t have any problems. Because we’re on a private island, secluded and remote with just this one house, you may wander about freely, go anywhere you desire.”

My heart sank. There were no neighbors.

“You may explore around the house, outside, along the shore. This is your home away from home, Abby, and as long as you follow the rules, you are free to move around anywhere you choose. You are not bound by any chains or shackles.”

“Free?” I said in a loud voice.

He smiled briefly. Then continued.

“Of course, as your doctor I would advise against going in the water. I know you’ll be tempted. But you can’t swim to those distant islands that you see out the windows. The water is a chilly 46 degrees this time of year, which means that hypothermia would set in rather quickly. You wouldn’t want to be out in the middle of all that water and relive all… No, best to stay here where you’ll be warm and comfortable.”

He cleared his throat.

“Your room is completely private. You don’t have to worry about anyone watching you in there. It’s your sanctuary. I’m a man who needs much solitude to do my work and I can appreciate a need for privacy. It’s part of what makes us human, don’t you think?”

“What about all those people coming in and out while I was sleeping?” I said.

“Other than housekeeping, I can assure you, you will be left alone.”

Nathaniel finished the rest of his drink and put the glass on the table.

“If you could just put to rest any idea of escape, Abby, and settle in, I think you will find all this to be a very agreeable experience. I want you to be comfortable while we conduct our research and I’ve gone to great lengths to see to that. I’ve even had the staff set up a soccer field out back, behind the rose garden.”

I shook my head. He really was crazy if he thought I would act like I was on vacation here on my own private Alcatraz.

“As I said, the next few days are test free. Please explore the premises and try to enjoy yourself.”

I got up again and walked toward the door.

“Oh, and Abby,” he said. I turned around.

“I would appreciate immensely if we could continue these little chats at night. Just like this. I don’t ask that you dine with me, nothing so elaborate. Unless you would like to. But I do request these discussions. It’s part of the research. There are things I’m curious about.”

He seemed to read my face.

“If you are willing to do that, meet me down here every night, then I’ll allow you to contact your sister.”

He looked at me, his eyes reflecting the flames.

“But, it’s up to you. We’ll continue to collect the physical data, regardless. I would be grateful, though, if you would agree.”

As I stared at him, I noticed something beyond strange.

It was the energy that surrounded him. It had turned bright, white and fast, spinning around him like snowflakes falling in a blizzard.

I had seen this kind of energy before.

And seeing it swirling around Nathaniel as he looked at me left me speechless.

CHAPTER 6

Simon escorted me back to my room. When I walked in, I noticed my bed was turned down and more ice water was left on the nightstand.

This was all so crazy. It was like I was staying in some classy hotel. The roses, the clothes, the refrigerator full of my favorite drinks. It was not at all what I expected after riding in the back seat and floor of Jack’s pickup, tied down like an animal.

But none of it mattered. They were all just items to try and lure me into a sense of comfort, when the facts were that I was a prisoner and that my life was in danger.

At the end of the day a fancy jail cell was still a jail cell.

I wasn’t sure what Nathaniel had in mind, but I was fairly certain that no matter what he had said there was no way he was going to let me walk out of here and go back home, back to my life in Bend.

As I thought of home and what it meant to me, I couldn’t help but think about Kate. I knew I needed to stay positive and focus. But it hurt thinking of her. I had been the cause of so much worry in her life. Kate had told me once that we had paid our dues, that it was time we had some happiness. I guess she was wrong about that. It seemed like there was still more to pay.

I had to push out the thoughts that wouldn’t be useful and put all my strength in finding a way out, a way back home. I had to start thinking of a way to escape.

I wished Jesse were here. I needed him now more than ever. But I wasn’t sure he even knew what had happened to me. The last time I had seen him was in the parking lot outside the indoor soccer field. Maybe he was still back there. I knew he would be with me if he could.

“Jesse,” I whispered.

Nothing happened.

I went into the bathroom and took another shower to try to free myself from the flesh-crawling feeling that the evening had left. When I was done, I walked over to the window. The boat dock lights were on.

As long as Nathaniel was giving me some days off, tomorrow I would get up early and try to find a way off this island. If there was a boat dock, then it was likely there was a boat.

I whispered Jesse’s name a few more times before pulling open the cabinet under the television and looking at all the movies. Most of the DVDs and Blu-rays were black-and-white oldies, film noirs, and detective shows, the stuff I used to watch back home late at night when I couldn’t get to sleep.

I picked
Out of the Past
, put it in, and settled back on the bed. The movie had great atmosphere but I could never keep the plot straight in my head.

There had to be a way off the island and I was going to find it. After having dinner with Nathaniel, I was more determined than ever.

I drifted off shortly after Robert Mitchum said, “Baby, I don’t care.”

CHAPTER 7

I fell into a deep sleep, lost again in strange dreams that made no sense. In one I played all the roles from the movie the night before. In another I was flying over the water and my wings were tired, so tired. I was glad when the morning light finally crept back in the room.

I got out of bed and went over to the window. It was drizzling outside and the sky was full of clouds. I rubbed my face and took a deep breath as I stared out at the island. I would have to find a way to get there.